Winding machine



Aug. 27, 1957 R. J. MAHONEY 2,8

WINDING MACHINE I Filed March 29, 1956 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Aug. 27, 1957 R. J. MAHONEY 2 7 WINDING MACHINE Filed March 29, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 li y- I INVENTOR.

Robert z] Malia/my BY ATTflRNEYS Aug. 27, 1957 R. J. MAHONEY WINDING MACHINE 5- Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 29, 1956 INVENTOR. Rake/ t diva/70mg BY M, 3. W

ATTfiRN/f j 'I m" "n ll l||| Aug. 27, 1957 Filed March 29, 1956 R. J. MAHONEY WINDING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 &

mm Y3 A 7, 1957 R. J. MAHONEY 2,804,274

WINDING MACHINE Filed March 29, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR.

Robert J. Muh on y BY 5: /L4+J (a;

AT TORNE Y United States Patent '50 WINDING MACHINE Robert J. Mahoney, Rockford, Ill.,'assign0r to Barber- Colman Company, Rockford,,lll., acorporation of Illinois Application March 29, 1956, Serial, No. 574,764

' 7 Claims. (Cl. 242-355) This invention relates to winding machines having a plurality of winding units which are associated successively with a mechanism for winding the end of a broken thread on a partially wound package or cheese, leading the found end and the thread of a reserve bobbin to a knotter, tying the two threads together, and restarting turning of the package to continue the winding. I In machines of the above character, such restrating is effected by .a power driven roll carried by the tyingunit and brought into engagement with the underside of the cheese after the knot has been tied. The driving friction derived from the weight of the partially filled cheese increases with the size there of but sometimes fails to start the cheese and take up the slack within the allotted time, the loose thread thus being carried to the next cheese and becoming tangled with the thread thereof. I have discovered that such failures are attributable tothe fact that the inertia of the cheese increases more rapidly than its .Weight so thatobjectionable slippage is'likely to occur in restarting the winding of cheeses larger than a predetermined diameter.

The primary object of the present invention is to'provide a simple and effectivemeans' for overcoming the slippage above referred to by increasing at proper times the torque exerted on a partially wound cheese during restarting thereof.

A more detailed object is'to increase the driving torque by applying an additional force to the cheese onthe side thereof opposite the drive roll whereby toincrease the pressure and therefore the driving friction between the roll and the cheese.

Another object is to associate the force applying means with the end finding and tying mechanism so that this means may serve a plurality of windingunits.

A further object is to render the force applying means active automatically and selectively in accordance with the size of the built up cheese.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of an end finding and tying mechanism incorporating the novel features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of parts of the winding and tying units.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of the drive to the various rolls of the tying mechanism.

. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 2 showing the parts in a different position.

.Fig. 7 is a similar view showing a. different. size of cheese. In the drawings, the invention is shown forpurposes of illustration incorporated in a winding machine of the type EQQ shown in Marcellus application Serial No; 339,585, filed March 21, 1953, now Patent 2,757,874, issued August 7, 1956, and comprising an end finding and tying'unit'or so-called traveler 10 movable along a rectilinear path past winding units 11 arranged side by side for association of the traveler successively with partially wound packages or cheeses 12. Through means including rollers 13 the traveler is supported on a frame 14 carrying the winding units and having rack teeth meshing with: a gear 15 mounted on the traveler frame 16 and driven from a main upright shaft 17 which in turn is driven through bevel gears 18 from a motor (not shown).

During winding, the cheese of each winding unit 11 rests on a drive roll 20 as shown in phantom in Fig? '2, thread 21 being thereby withdrawn from a supply bobbin 22 in a holder 23 carrying a reserve bobbin 24. The core of the cheese is disposed between arms 25 piv0ted at'25 on the upper end of a carrier26 which, through means fully disclosed in the aforesaid application, is swung about its pivot 27 to shift the cheese to an intermediate or-inactive position shown in dot dash-outline in 'Fig. 2 when the thread 21 breaks. Then as the traveler 10 approaches this Winding unit, a cam thereon advances thechees'c carrier to the end finding and tying position. After the thread end has been found andtied onto the threadsz l (Fig. 3) of the reserve bobbin 24 to. form a knot k; the carrier and the cheese are movedback to winding position by a cam 23 on the traveler.

All of the end finding and knot tying functions" :are timed by cams on a shaft 34 driven through bevel" gearing from the main shaft 17. Through gearing shownschematically in Fig. 5 rolls 30 to 33 'are'driven in proper directions from the shaft 34. As originally disclosed in Colman Patent 1,267,977 and later in Patent 2,053,296, these rolls are spaced apart axially for successive engagement with the underside of the partially Woundpackage 12. When the roll 30 arrives beneath the cheese, to be tied up, the latter is dropped onto the roll whichyturn-sthe cheesein the winding direction to takeup any remaining loose end of the thread. The end finding roll 31 next engages the cheese turning it slowly in the opposite'direction to present the thread end to a suction tube'35'into which the loose end is drawn so as to lead the thread into a hook 36 on an arm 36 by which the thread iscarried downwardly to the knotter mechanism 37 (Fig. 2)and there united with the reserve thread to formiheknot k.

In the manner disclosed in Patent 2,053,296, the-loose portion of the knotted thread is sucked into aslack take-up tube 38 (see Fig. 3) to form the thread v21 drawnoff by the pay-off roll 32 into a loop 21, one enduof which becomes held by a hook 39 at the mouth of the tube. 1 The latter is fulcrumed at 40 and swung around thepath-of the traveler by a cam and a followertlinkage 41.

The so-called rise roll 33 for taking up the slack Within the tube 38 is normally disposed below the cheese and is carried by an arm 42 (Fig. 3) which through a follower linkage 43 is rocked by a cam 44 (Fig. 2) -,and .raised against the underside of the cheeseas, the roll-arrives beneath the cheese as shown in Fig. 3. v The. cheese; is thus lifted slightly to disengage it from the adjacent payotf roll 32, the driving torque thus frictionally applied serving to initiate rotation of the cheese'in the winding direction and at a higher speed preparatory to-returniof the cheese by the cam 28 back onto thedrum20-by which the winding is continued. During such restarting oft-he cheese, the slack portion of the payed off thread wil-lnbe held in the tube 38 until the loop has been-withdrawn and finally released from the hook 39 lay-the: action of the stripper 45. 1

As set forth above, such fast starting of-thecheese may be accompanied by. slippage between the rise rollt33tand the cheese after the latter has attained a size such that its inertia cannot be overcome quickly upon contact wit the rise roll 33. To prevent such slippage and the consequent tangling of the thread with that of the next winding unit to be serviced by the traveler, the invention aims to increase the pressure of the contact'between the cheese and the' rise roll 33.11nder all conditions conducive to such slippage. The means employed for this purpose is preferably carried on the traveler so as to serve all of the winding units 11 and comprises a device, in this instance a roll 47, normally disposed above the top of. the largest cheese in any winding unit and moved. down against the cheese to increase the downward pressure on the rise roll 33 while the cheese is in driving contact H therewith.

In the present instance, the pressure roll 47 is journaled on the free end of an arm 48 whose forked end is fulcrumed on ,a pin 49 on-the traveler frame 16. The pin parallels the cheese axis and is spaced outwardly therefrom to provide for movement of the roll in an upright f The roller follows a groove in a barrel cam 53 fast on a shaft 54 which is geared to the main shaft so as to actuate the lever and raise and lower the roll 47 at proper times in the tying cycle. When the follower 52 rides into the low part of the cam groove, an abutment 55 on the lever 51 engages a lug 56 on the arm 48 thus raising the roll 47 to the inactive position (Fig. 6). As the follower 52 encounters the rise of the cam groove, the abutment 55 is swung downwardly permitting the spn'ng to swing the arm 48 until the roll 47 contacts the top of the cheese. In the continued turning of the cam, the abutment 55 moves away from the arm 51 further stretching the spring until the high point of the cam reaches the follower as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. It will be apparent that the extent of downward movement of the roll in any cycle will depend on the size of the cheese being serviced. The spring is of course stressed to exert on the largest sized cheese 3. force of sufficient magnitude to insure application of the proper driving torque by the roll 33 when the cheese is of the largest size. Since the pressure roll 47 moves a greater distance before contacting the top of a smaller cheese, the stretching of the spring 50 and therefore the pressure on the drive roll 33will be decreased correspondingly. With cheeses of smaller diameter than the critical size shown in Fig. 7, the weight of the cheese itself is sufiicient to create the torque required for the desired quick starting of the cheese by the roll 33. The range of movement of the pressure roll may, as in the present instance, be limited by shaping of the cam groove. Thus as illustrated in Fig. 7 the roll will not engage and apply the supplemental downward pressure to a cheese which has not attained the predetermined minimum diameter.

It will be observed from the foregoing that the possibility of objectionable slippage during restarting of the cheese after tying on a new reserve thread is eliminated through the simple and inexpensive pressure applying device which operates automatically and selectively in each tying cycle. The winding machine is thus adapted to handle a wider variety of threads of different surface charment past each other, said winding unit supporting a bobbin and apartially wound cheese, mechanism operable during such relative movement to pick up the cheese and bobbin threads, tie the ends together, and then initiate turning of the cheese in the winding direction, said mechanism including a rotary drive roll engaging the periphery of the cheese on one side thereof, a second rotary roll engageable with the cheese onthe opposite side thereof, and means operable in timed relation to said relative movement to press said second roll toward and against said cheese and hold the same against said drive roll under sufficient pressure to prevent substantial slippage between the two.

2. In a Winding machine, the combination of, a winding unit including a bobbin of thread and a rotatable partially wound cheese, a finding and knot tying unit, means supporting said units for relative movement past each other along a path paralleling the axis of said cheese,.mechanism on the tying. unit operable during such movement to pick up the cheese and bobbin thread ends, tie the same together and initiate turning of the cheese, said mechanism including a rotary drive roll engageable with the periphery of the cheese on one side thereof, a pressure member spaced from said axis a distance greater than the radius of the Cheese and mounted on said tying unit for movement toward said axis and against the periphery of the cheese to increase the pressure of the engagement between said cheese and said drive roll, and means operable in timed relation to said relative movement to urge said member yieldably against cheeses of varying diameters and under suflicient pressure to avoid substantial slippage between the cheese and said drive roll.

3. In a winding machine, the combination of, a wind- 'ing unit including a bobbin of thread and a rotatable partially wound cheese, a finding and knot typing unit,

'means supporting said units for relative movement past each other along a 'path paralleling the axis of said cheese, mechanism on the tying unit operable during such movement to pick up the cheese and bobbin thread ends, tie the same together and initiate turning of the cheese, said mechanism including a rotary drive roll engageable with the periphery of the cheese on one side thereof, a pressure member mounted on said tying unit for movement toward said axis and against the periphery of the cheese to increase the pressure of the engagement between said cheese and said drive roll, a spring urging said member toward said cheese, means normally holding said member away from said axis a distance greater than the radius of a full cheese, and means operable during engagement of the cheese and said drive roll to release said member to the action of said spring and thereby allow the member to come against the cheese and increase the pressure between the cheese and the I drive roll.

' partially wound cheese, a finding and knot tying unit,

acteristics and to operate in tying cycles of minimum lengths. In addition, one pressure device serves all of the winding units and adapts itself automatically to cheeses of varying sizes.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a winding machine, the combination of, thread winding and, knot tying units mounted for relative movemeans supporting said units for relative movement past each other along a path paralleling the axis of said cheese, mechanism on the tying unit operable during such movement to pick up the cheese and bobbin thread ends, tie the same together and initiate turning of the cheese, said mechanism including a rotary drive roll en- .gageable with the periphery of. the cheese on one side thereof, a pressure member mounted on said tying unit for movement in a transverse plane including saiddrive roll and toward and away from said axis to engage the periphery of cheese of different diameters on the side thereof opposite said roll, and means operable during engagement of the cheese by said roll to urge said member yieldably against the cheese under a pressure sutficient to prevent substantial slippage between thecheese and roll during starting of the cheese rotation. I

5. A winding machine as defined by claim 4 having means for limiting the extent of movement of said member toward the cheese whereby to remain out of engagement with a cheese smaller than a predetermined diameter.

6. In a winding machine, the combination of, wind ing and knot tying units mounted for relative movement past each other, said winding unit supporting a bobbin and a partially wound cheese, mechanism operable during such relative movement to pick up the ends of the cheese and bobbin threads, tie said ends together, and then initiate turning of the cheese in the winding direction, said mechanism including a rotary drive roll engageable with the periphery of said cheese during said relative movement, and means operable automatically in timed relation to the engagement of said cheese and roll to increase the pressure of such engagement.

7. A winding machine as defined in claim 6 in which said pressure increasing means includes a member normally disposed out of engaging relation with respect to said cheese but movable into engagement with the cheese periphery on the side thereof opposite said drive 10 roll.

No references cited. 

